Home Office

Peers: Correspondence

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will respond to the email fromLord Berkeley to Lord Harrington of Watford sent on 22 April concerning the visa applications GWF064118049 and GWF064118784.

Lord Harrington of Watford: The Lord Harrington responded to the Lord Berkeley’s correspondence on 19 May 2022.

Educational Visits: EU Nationals

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reduction in the number of school groups visiting the UK from EU countries since the introduction of the requirement for every child in a group to have an individual visa.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Schoolchildren who are EU, EEA and Swiss nationals do not require a visa to visit the UK.Like other non-visa nationals visiting the UK they are expected to have a valid national passport.

Coronavirus: Fixed Penalties

Lord Strathcarron: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for infringements of the COVID-19 lockdown regulations; what was the (1) total, and (2) average, value of those fines; and what percentage of the fines have been paid.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Data on the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued under the COVID-19 regulations by police forces in England and Wales is not held centrally by the Home Office. These figures were collected by police forces and published monthly by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC).The final tranche of figures relating to coronavirus breaches was published on 16 March 2022 and can be found here on the NPCC website at Update on Coronavirus FPNs issued by forces in England and Wales, and the payment of FPNs (npcc.police.uk)The data includes the number of FPN letters issued by ACRO, FPNs paid, FPNs contested, and those not complied with, broken down by force area.Fixed Penalty Notices  (pdf, 1011.9KB)

Asylum: Rwanda

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether asylum seekers removed to Rwanda as part of the UK–Rwanda Asylum Partnership Arrangement will receive vaccinations for (1) Hepatitis A, (2) Tetanus, and (3) Typhoid, prior to travelling to that country, in line with (a) advice, and (b) recommendations, from the (i) National Health Travel Network, and (ii) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Various vaccinations are routinely offered to individuals within our detention estate pending their transfer or returns overseas.Upon relocation to Rwanda, individuals will be provided with the healthcare and other support needed to ensure their health, security and wellbeing. This includes vaccinations where appropriate.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Company Accounts

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 20 May (HL31), whatassessment they have made of the judgment given in the Caparo V Dickman case; and whether their reply was based on that assessment.

Lord Callanan: The Government did not make an assessment of the Caparo V Dickman case in providing the Written Answer on 20 May 2022 to Question HL31.

Advanced Research and Invention Agency

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in establishing the Advanced Research and Invention Agency; and when they expect it will start operating.

Lord Callanan: We are in the process of recruiting the Advanced Research and Invention Agency's first CEO and Chair. These appointments will be announced in due course and we expect ARIA to be operational later this year.

Companies: Audit

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to respondto the results of their consultation on Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance, which was published on 18 March 2021.

Lord Callanan: The Government has now published its response to the consultation on ‘Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance’. It is available on GOV.UK.

Audit: Reform

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their draft Audit Reform Bill; and what the next steps will be.

Lord Callanan: The Government’s draft bill on audit, corporate governance and insolvency reform is expected to be published during the Third Session.

Companies: Audit

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the draft Audit Reform Bill will include measures set out in the Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance white paper for stronger internal company controls, including certification by company directors, and requirements for companies to publish an Audit and Assurance Policy.

Lord Callanan: The Government published its response to consultation on the Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance White Paper on 31 May. The Government will strengthen directors’ accountability for their company’s internal controls by inviting the Financial Reporting Council to strengthen the UK Corporate Governance Code to provide for a directors’ statement about the effectiveness of the company’s internal controls, including the basis for that assessment. The Government will also introduce a statutory requirement on large companies to publish an Audit and Assurance Policy.

Intellectual Property: Entertainers

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by EquityStop AI Stealing the Show, published on 21 April, what assessment they have made of the effect of artificial intelligence, including AI-made performance synthetisation, on the intellectual property rights of performers and creative workers in relation to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Lord Callanan: The Government recently consulted on AI and its relationship with copyright and patents. Equity was among 88 organisations and individuals who responded to this consultation. The Government will publish its response in due course. The UK’s intellectual property framework, which includes strong protections for performers’ rights, is consistently rated among the best in the world and the Government intends for this to continue. The law is kept under constant review to ensure it meets the challenges of modern technology as part of the usual policy process and as guided by the evidence.

Horizon Europe

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK’s application to be an associated country to Horizon Europe is not delayed because of problems relating to the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; what discussionsthey have had with universities about the financial and reputational effects of the UK not being associated with Horizon Europe; and what was the total income for UK research projects from Horizon Europe in each of the last three financial years.

Lord Callanan: The UK stands ready to formalise our association to Horizon Europe, but there have been persistent delays from the EU, who have openly stated they are not proceeding with the UK’s participation in EU programmes due to wider political issues. The Northern Ireland Protocol and the UK’s participation in Union programmes are entirely separate issues, and contained in different agreements. We are disappointed in the politicisation of valuable R&D collaboration, and continue to urge the Commission to finalise the UK’s participation in Horizon as soon as possible. Supporting the UK’s research and development sector through this period of uncertainty has been our top priority. The Government engages regularly with the R&D sector, including with groups and individuals representing universities across the whole of the UK. The net EU contribution of awards won by UK beneficiaries in Horizon 2020 – the predecessor programme to Horizon Europe which made its final awards in 2021 – by year of project signature date is: UK Awards by grant signature year € m (Excluding Euratom) [i] Year of Grant Signature201920202021Grand Total950898565 [i] Figures are given in million EUR. Figures in GBP change with exchange rates and cannot be accurately reported due to exchange rate volatility. Data source is the Horizon R&I projects dashboard.

Pauline Wallace

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 20 May (HL131), whether they asked Pauline Wallace for informationwhen preparing their response; and if not, whether they will now do so.

Lord Callanan: Pauline Wallace has informed the Government that she had no involvement in the tribunal between the Accountancy Investigation and Discipline Board and PwC.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Tunisia: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the protests against President Kais Saied on 15 May, what assessment they have made of the political situation in Tunisia; and what discussions they have with the President on his commitment to democracy in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is concerned by President Saied's decision to dissolve Parliament and the possibility of politicians from the previous government facing criminal charges. Tunisia faces many economic and political challenges that can only be addressed through democratic engagement, transparency, the protection of human rights, and free speech. The UK has closely monitored the political situation since the changes brought in by President Saied on 25 July 2021, and we will continue to do so. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Tunis met with President Kais Saied to present her credentials in January 2022. The Ambassador welcomed the moves toward public consultation and accountability to the Tunisian people in the President's political roadmap, and shared her hope that Tunisians would achieve their aspirations for jobs, freedoms and dignity.

Jerusalem: Religious Freedom

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of religious freedom for (1) Christians, and (2) Muslims, in Jerusalem, especially during Jewish festivals.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. The UK condemns all attacks on the right to freedom of religion or belief. Israel is a thriving democracy, and has made clear its commitment to freedom of religion. We encourage the Israeli Government to do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all enshrined in its laws.

Treasury

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Haskel: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to modify the Apprenticeship Levy scheme to address (1) dissatisfaction from participants, and (2) concerns about its effectiveness.

Baroness Penn: The Apprenticeship Levy is a key part of the Government’s reforms to the apprenticeship system. It enables employers to make a long-term and sustainable investment in high-quality apprenticeship training.The Government recognises that employers have frustrations with the way that these Apprenticeship Levy funds can be spent within the apprenticeships system and is delivering a suite of improvements to address these. These include the improvements announced at Spending Review 2021, such as introducing an enhanced recruitment service for SMEs, supporting the use of flexible training models, and introducing a return-on-investment tool to ensure employers can see the benefits that apprentices create in their business.The Government’s ambition is to encourage greater levels of private sector investment in employee training, both for apprentices and for employees more generally. Therefore, at Spring Statement 2022, the Chancellor announced that he would consider whether further intervention is needed to encourage employers to offer the high-quality training the UK needs. This will include examining whether the current tax system – including the operation of the Apprenticeship Levy – is doing enough to incentivise businesses to invest in the right kinds of training.While there will not be a formal review of the Apprenticeship Levy as part of this wider consideration on employer investment in training, the Government is committed to protecting the quality of apprenticeship training and further improving the system to respond to the concerns raised by employers.